Page 20 of Restored By You

“—if you ever fall prey to another pretty tourist again—”

“I said, I know,” I bark, cutting him off. I scrub my face roughly. “Fuck, man. I know, okay? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

My groan turns into a growl mixed with a heavy sigh. Fuck. I can pretend not to know what’s happening here, plead my case to my brother, tell him it’s a job, bullshit my way through it. But I’d be lying to myself on top of everything else.

I’ve got a problem. A weakness, really. And it comes in the shape of pretty women who never stick around long enough to fill the void.

All they do is make it bigger when they go.

“You remember… What was her name? Addy, Ava…?”

I sigh. “Amy.”

Levi claps. “Amy, yeah. Anyway, doesn’t matter. My point is, she was here for a three-week holiday renting old Tom’s cabin near the resort, and you were there every fuckin’ day finding shit to fix—for free, mind you.” He shakes his head. “Tom sent you over to reseal the damn back door and I watched you work yourself into the ground trying to get the woman to notice you. And when she finally did? You had, what, a few days with her and she was gone.”

I grit my teeth, my jaw working as I chug the last of his beer. I set it down with a clack on the granite countertop, and magically, Levi sets a fresh one in front of me.

I pop the top. “I remember.”

“You should also remember that’s happened…at least four times since.”

“Your point?” Is he trying to make me feel like shit? Because it’s working.

When it comes to the men in my family, most women flock to their side. My eldest brother, Butch, for example. Never had to do a damn thing to get a woman’s attention, all he had to be was an asshole and they were throwing themselves at his feet. All Duke has to do is, well, be himself. Beau acts like he could fuckin’ care less and somehow saves the damn day. Levi, while still single and hating it, at least gets women’s interest, but he’s a try-hard. Or a try-too-hard, rather.

And then there’s me. The nice guy, the steady hand, the brother everyone can count on, and yet…I go unnoticed.

“My point is,” he starts, hands on the counter. “Get hard.”

My brow furrows. “What?”

“Get hard. Go hard. Do the damn thing.”

I shake my head with a half-hearted chuckle. “How about we save the speeches for Duke.”

Levi rolls his eyes. “Make your feelings known from the get-go. Don’t pussyfoot around it this time. Stop waiting and start acting. Or…keep it professional, don’t eye-fuck her, or daydream about the what ifs—pick one and stick to it.”

Maybe he has a point. Could I do that? Open the door for more and throw my heart on the line? What’s the worst that could happen? She leaves? Been there before, and I got the bumper sticker to prove it.

I open my mouth to respond, but Levi keeps going.

“Or,” he says, “fuck her, get it out of your system, finish the job, cash the check, and move on.”

I frown. So much for that brotherly advice going somewhere.

I push up from my chair, grabbing my laptop and papers. “Forget it. It’s not worth the time.”

He scoffs, calling after me, “Says the guy who just took a side gig that’s going to suck every last free second he has.”

Asshole. I flip him off as I round the corner and head for my room, kicking the door shut behind me and toss everything on the bed. I stand there for a beat, staring at the work I just spent hours on, and my brother’s words ringing in my ear.

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried, I realize.

I try hard enough, don’t I? Or, do I not try at all? Is that what my brother’s getting at? Coming from the try-hard of the family, it’s probably nothing to be getting worked up over. And yet…

When was the last time I tried to win a woman over? Damn near feels like forever. So why not? Shea’s beautiful, smart, funny. Any guy would be lucky to catch her eye. And if Levi is right—can’t believe I’m even thinking those words—then I’ve caught her eye.

Maybe it’s time I try to win something for me.